Staff Reporter:
The National Citizen Party (NCP) and Gono Odhikar Parishad have demanded resignation of interim Home Adviser Lt Gen (retd) Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, accusing him of aiding the escape of former president Abdul Hamid, who left for Thailand early Thursday.
Hamid’s escape has reignited public outrage, especially as he is named in a murder case filed on January 14 at Kishoreganj Sadar Police Station. The case also names former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, her sister Sheikh Rehana, her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy, daughter Saima Wazed Putul, and Awami League leader Obaidul Quader.
According to sources at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, Hamid arrived at the airport around 11 p.m. Wednesday with his son and brother-in-law and boarded Thai Airways flight TG340 for Bangkok at 3:05 a.m. Thursday.
He had remained in the country for months after the fall of the Awami League government on August 5, 2024, triggered by a nationwide student uprising. While many top leaders fled shortly after the collapse, Hamid’s exit nine months later has drawn sharp criticism.
Social media has been flooded with posts questioning how a high-profile accused was allowed to leave. Abdul Hannan Masud, senior joint coordinator of NCP, alleged in a Facebook post that Hamid was initially detained at the airport but was later released following a call from President Mohammed Shahabuddin (commonly known as Chuppu).
“After this, do you expect us to continue supporting the interim government?” he asked. “Either remove Chuppu and ban the Awami League, or step aside yourselves.”
NCP leaders Hasnat Abdullah and Sarjis Alam also made public statements condemning the incident. Tajnuva Jabin, joint convener of the party, called on interim advisers Mahfuz Alam and Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiyan to resign, saying, “The killers are fleeing with their heads high. How must the families of the martyrs and the wounded feel?”
Gono Odhikar Parishad also staged a protest in front of the Home Ministry on Thursday.
The group submitted a memorandum to Additional Secretary Md Ataur Rahman Khan, demanding Jahangir Alam’s resignation within 48 hours for allegedly allowing a “dummy president and murder accused” to escape.
Gono Odhikar Parishad General Secretary Rashed Khan, who led the protest, said, “If the interim government cannot hold the fugitives accountable, it has no moral authority to stay in office.”
Meanwhile, speaking at a government event in Dinajpur later that day, Home Adviser Jahangir Alam claimed he would resign if those involved in facilitating Hamid’s escape are not brought to justice. “There is no threat at our borders; the country is secure. But if I fail in my duties, I will step down,” he told reporters.
